Manufacture of pocket-cutlery



(No Model.)

J. D P-BABY. MANUFACTURE OF POCKET GUT LE RY.

Patented" Dec. .11; 1883.

Urvrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES D. FBARY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

MANUFACTURE OF POCKET-CUTLERY'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 290,023, dated December 11, 1883,

Application filed September 19, 1983. (No model.) 4

f0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES D. FRARY, of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in the Manufacture of Pocket-Cutlery; and I do hereby declare. the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawing and the letters of reference-marked thereon, to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawing constitutes part of this specification, and represents a perspective view of a pocket-knife.

This invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of that class of cutlery in which the blades are hinged at one end of the handle, and so as to turn into a pocket in the handle, commonly called pocket-cutlery. In the cheaper class of such cutlery the bol- -ster has been made by casting a metal upon the lining. This metal is usually white or similar soft metal. This, however, soon tarnishes and disfigures the knife. Again, the rivet which passes through the bolster, and which forms the pintle for the blade, must be of aharder metal than the bolster; hence shows upon the outer surface of the bolster and disfigures the handle. In Germany pocket-cutlery has been made havingathin German-silver shell struck up for the bolster and filledwith metal,which, finished, gives a fine appearance to the knife; but as the pintle or bladerivet must be introduced after the wood coverings have been placed upon the handle, and this rivet of a difi'erent material from the bolster, the same disfiguring of the bolster exists. American manufacturers have heretofore not been able to compete with this cheaper class of German manufacture, because the material here is too expensive for the cheap grade of knives, and the labor of finishing the bolster is more expensive here than there.

Theobject of my invention is to construct a knife with a highly finished bolster which shall successfully compete with the German manufacture, and present even a better finish than can be attained in such German manufacture, and so that cutlery can be profitably manufactured and sold at even aless price than such German manufacture; and the invention consists in a pocket-knife having the bolster cast upon the lining, and of a metal which will readily receive an electro-deposit of other metal, the blade-rivet made from metal which will readily take electro-deposit, the blades introduced, the rivet fixed, the wood coverings fixed to the handle, the bolster and handle finished, and then the bolster ends immersed in an electro-depositing bath, whereby the bolster may be electroplated. The other portions of the handle, not being prepared for such deposit, will not take the metal, and the bolsters only be electroplated, this electroplating being the final finishing of the handle, except the burnishing of those parts, as more fully hereinafter described.

In the construction of the knife the usual processes of manufacture are followed. The bolsterA is cast upon the lining B, of the proper size and shape, the covering is attached, the handle made up, the blades introduced, and secured by the rivet,in the usual manner. The metal of the bolster is made from any of the cheaper alloys or compositions of metal which will readily take an electro-deposit of nickel or silver. The lining, springs, and bolster, being of steel or iron, do not take such deposit; neither will the wood of the handle. The rivet is also made from a hard wire of any composition which will also take an electro-deposit of metal. After the handle is finished, the bolster ends are subjected to an electroplating-bath until a sufficient quantity of metal is deposited upon the bolster portion, that only being affected by the electroplating process. The electro-deposit completely covers the outer'or exposed surface of the bolster and the ends of the rivets which show upon the surface of the bolster, and, when burnished, the bolsters present a highlyfinished appearance, and give to the cutlerya finish equal to the finer classes of cutlery and far superior to the German. By thus electrocovering the bolster and the end of the rivet after the handle is finished, I am enabled to use an extremely cheap material for the bolster, and it is applied to the cheaper grades of cutlery.

It will be understood that the usualmethod of finishing pocket-cutlery is to apply the wood coverings, and then work down the wood ing them by said rivet, finishing the handle, except as to bolster and rivetthe parts of the handle other than said bolster andtrivct incapable of receiving an electro-depcsit-then subjecting the bolster ends to} an electroplating-bath, whereby a deposit of other metal is made upon the surface of the bolster and rivet, substantially as described.

J AMES D. FRARY.

and finish the \YOOd and bolster together, so that electroplating before the coverings are applied is impracticable, as the surface would be defaced in finishing the coverings. The coverings must be finished after they are applied to the linings.

I claim- The herein-described improvement in the manufacture of pocket-cutlery, consisting in forming thebolster and blade-rivet from metal capable of receiving an electro-deposit of 1 other metal, introducing the blades and securl Witnesses:

J. H. SHUMWAY, Jos. C. EARLE. 

